Choke-valve feed for lubricators.



No. 628,880. Patented .luly II, I899.

W. G. WELDON & E. L. EGGER.

CHOKE VALVE FEED FOR LUBBIGATOBS.

(Application filed Feb. 11, 1898.)-

(No Model.)

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' UNITED "ST TES PATENT OFFICE.

. WVILLIAM G. \V ELDON AND EDWARDIIJ. EGGER, OF- CENTRALIA, ILLINOIS.

CHOKE-VALVE FEED FOR LUBRICATORS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 628,880, dated July 11, 1899.

Application fi d February 11. 1898. Serial No. 670,002. (No model.)

To all whom [it may concern.-

Be it known that we, WILLIAM G. WELnoN and EDWARD L. EGGER, of Centralia, in the county of Marion and State of Illinois, have invent-ed a new and useful Improvement in Lubricator Attachments for Locomotives, of which the following is a specification.

Practical experience has demonstrated that when a locomotive is working steam oil does not flow or is not fed into the valve-chests and cylinders from the automatic lubricators ordinarily employed, owing to the back pressure of steam from the steam-chests.

It is the object of our invention to provide an automatic valve attachment for the lubricator-pipe leading to each valve-chest which shall be capable of producing a practically constant flow or feed of oil when the engine is in operation. I

In the further explanation of the function of our invention we will state that the automatic lubricators used in locomotive-cabs and the auxiliary'oilers also employed constitute two different means of oiling steam chestsand cylinders. With the'auxiliary oiler the valve can only be oiled when steam is shut off and the engine is running, while with the automatic lubricator in working order the oil is deposited in oil-pipe when engine is working steam in chest, but it is kept from passing to chest by the back pressure from the latter to oil-pipe. Our improved choke-valve feed attachment facilitates feeding oil to chest and cylinder while working steam and when engine is not working steam or in case the automatic lubricator gets out of order, and hence fails to feed oil, in which case oil may be supplied by a can manually to the lubricator ordinarily located in the locomotive-cab.

The accompanying drawing shows a central vertical section of our valve attachment, with the connections required for lubricator-pipe and steam-chest.

The valve proper, A, is practically a hollow truncated cone provided with oil-and steam passages, as hereinafter described. The casing B has a cone-shaped chamber in which said valve A reciprocates and an oil-passage leading vertically from such chamber. The casingB is screwed ontoahollow plug 3,which is in practice attached to the steam-chest (not shown) of a locomotive. The reduced upper end of the casing B is connected by a'screwcoupling 4 with the head 5 of a pipe 6, which in practice extends to an automatic steam-lubricator, (not shown,) which is usually arranged in the locomotive-cab;

The cylindrical valve A is made considerably shorter than the chamberof the casing I) and also of suflicientlyless diameter to allow a certain vertical play or reciprocation. The reciprocation or lift of the valve is in dicated by the space 10 left between it an the bottom of the chamber.

. The conical head orupper end 2 of the valve A is adapted to fit and seat closely against the corresponding portion of the casing-chamher. A funnel-shaped vertical passage 7, which we term the cone-choke, is formed in the head of the valve and opens into the cylindrical valve-chamber 9. Diagonal passages 8 lead from such chamber 9 through the head of the valve and communicate with a circumferential groove 8, formed at the obtuse angle of the valve.

From the foregoing description the operation of the valve may now be understood.

It is necessary to state here that when the locomotive is not working steam in the chest, there being no back pressure in the oil-pipe 6, leading from the steam-chest to the automatic lubricator in the cab, the oil will be discharged into said pipe through a choke forming a part of such automatic cab-lubricator, and thence into steam-chest. This choke is ordinarily used to enable the automatic lubricator to work steadily. Now when steam is ad mitted from the boiler to the chest. and. cylinder its sudden influx into the plug 3 and valve-chamber will suffice to, lift the valve A against its seat in casing B, and a large portion of the conical head 2 being thus inaccessible to steam acting through the lubricator-pipe 6 it is apparent the valve will remain thus seated, as shown in the drawing, so long as the engine is working steam. In other words, the result is due to the difference of the areas of steam-pressure offered by the head and bottom, respectively, of the valve A. Directly following such seating of the valve A the pressure of steam in the oil-pipe 6 rises to equality with that in the steam-chest;' but the pressure at the cab ,-'lubricator being slightly in excess of that in the chest owing to proximity of such lubricator to the boiler and the free communication between them, a circulation of steam will be started through oil-pipe 6 and cone-choke 7 to chest. This circulation once begun through the conechoke 7 will be continuous so long as the steam-pressure in the chest overcomes the gravity of valve A and holds it seated upward, as shown. Thus the oil delivered into the pipe 6 from the cab-lubricator will be carried through the valve passage '7 and through the plug 3 into the steam-chest and cylinder, as desired. The reason foremploying the funnel shape or tapered choke 7 is to enable steam-pressure to concentrate, so

to speak, on the oil accumulating therein.

In other words, owing to the diiference in diameter of the choke or passage 7 at top and bottom the steam-pressure suffices to feed oil through it. f

When steam is shut off from chest and cylinder, the upward pressure being thus removed, it is obvious the valve A will automatically unseat by gravity, and thus the diagonal holes or passages 8 and groove 8 will be opened to excess of steam, so that a freer auxiliary oiler-that is to say, if the pipe 6 were connected with a steam-chest without the interposed choke the oil would be fed too fast and copiously by the automatic lubricator after steam is shut off while the engine is running at high speed on account of the excessive suetiondueto vacuum in cylinder, and, again, the holes 8 must be large enough to allow production of suflicient vacuum to draw oil out ofauxiliary oiler when automatic lubricator is not in working order. The holes 8 are necessary to make a larger passage and freer communication between chest andoil-pipe than the cone-choke affords.

What we claim is Y 1. The combination-with a casing adapted for connection with a steam-chest and lubricator-pipe, substantially as described, of an automatic reciprocating valve provided with an oil-passage adapted to permit the feed of oil in all positions of the valve, and having its recessed or cup-shaped lower end accessible or exposed to the action of steam from the steam-chest, substantially as shown and described.

2. The combination with a casing adapted for connection with a steam-chest and lubricator-pipe at its respective ends, of an automatic reciprocating gravity-valve arranged therein and having a funnel-shaped oil-passage or choke, and adapted to seat upward so as to mainly exclude access of steam on its head, its lower end being recessed or cupshaped accessible or exposed to the action of steam and thus having the greater area of steam-pressure while the valve is seated, sub

stantially as shown and described.

The combination with the casing con: nected as specified of the automatic reciprocating valve having a conical head adapted to fit upon a like seat in said casing, its lower end being cup-shaped and accessible or exposed to the action of steam-pressure, said head having a funnel-shaped or tapered oilpassage, or choke, substantially as shown and described. I

4. The combination with the casing connected as specified, of the automatic reciproeating valve, Whose lower end is constantly exposed to steam-pressure from the cylinder, the body of the same having a longitudinal oil-passage and one or more lateral auxiliary passages, the latter opening in that portion of the top surface or head of the valve which seats in the casing when the valve is raised, whereby the lateral passages are closed, substantially as shown and described.

5. An improved lubricator-valve attachment, comprising the casing adapted for connection with a lubricator-oil pipe and steamchest as specified, and a reciprocating valve arranged in said casing and having a tapered oil-passage, or choke, and adapted to seat upward, substantially as shown and described.

6. The improved lubricating-valve attachment for locomotive steam-chests, the same comprising a casing having a chamber with conical head, and a reciprocating valve operating in said chamber and having a corresponding head, provided with a funnel-shaped oil-passage, or choke, and lateral passages, as shown and described.

WVILLIAM G. WELDON. EDWARD L. EGGER. Witnesses:

WILLIAM G. SPENcE, WILLIAM F. BUNDY.

IIC 

